This is Sam and Danielle during ELPAT! We love animals and I (Danielle) adore newborn puppies + kittens! (: (Sam here) plus, we're weird. (Sam writes anything in italics.) So, we were going to do something that has to do with animals, but we haven't quite made one yet, so, yeah...
I have a good idea for a bill! Even though it is not on animals how about we do one on not having school on Mondays?! (: Haha.
It is a good idea, you have to admit! Or we can do one about surrendering animals. Such as, you may surrender your animal instead of having it euthanized it, etc.
A "feral" cat is a cat who has reverted in some degree to a wild state. They originate from former domestic cats who were lost or abandoned and then learned to live outdoors or in environments involving little human contact, such as warehouses, factories or abandoned buildings. In most cases, feral cats are not completely wild because they still depend on people for their food source, whether it's a caretaker who comes by once or twice a day, a dumpster outside a restaurant, garbage cans, or the like. Relatively few feral cats subsist only by hunting. To what degree a feral cat is wild depends on several factors. Foremost, is the age of the cat. Young kittens are more capable of being socialized and successfully re-introduced to domestic life than a feral adult. Another factor is what generation feral is the cat. A kitten born outdoors to a mother who was herself formerly domestic is likely to socialize easier than one born to a mother who is seventh generation feral. The extent of daily human contact also plays an important role in determining how wild a cat will be. If cats have regular interaction with people, such as in a community garden, they will tend to be friendlier and more approachable than if they live in a back alley where people rarely venture. Finally, there's the wild card factor, which is the particular cat's personality. It's not unheard of for someone to tame an older, multi-generational feral who has been largely isolated from people, but this is the exception. It's important to recognize that if a cat is truly feral, then the most compassionate choice might be to allow them to live outdoors. Trying to domesticate them would be no different than trying to make a squirrel or a raccoon a household companion - you might succeed somewhat, but never fully and only with a great deal of time and patience. Moreover, you would not be permitting the animal to live in a manner that suits him best. Many well-meaning people, convinced they are "saving" a feral cat by bringing him indoors, end up condemning the poor creature to a life of hiding under the bed and being in constant fear. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) respects a feral cat's wild state. The neutering of the ferals prevents tremendous suffering and shields the cats from the hostility their behavior might otherwise draw from human neighbors. But the return of them to their own territory and the providing of adequate food and shelter gives them the opportunity to live among their own, to be free and to answer to their own unique natures.- From www.neighborhoodcats.org
What's Life Like for a Feral Cat?
Simply put, it's not easy. Feral cats must endure weather extremes such as cold and snow, heat and rain. They also face starvation, infection and attacks by other animals. Unfortunately, almost half of the kittens born outdoors die from disease, exposure or parasites before their first year. Feral cats also face eradication by humans—poison, trapping, gassing and steel leg-hold traps are all ways humans, including some animal control and government agencies, try to kill off feral cat populations.
That said, feral cats who live in a managed colony—a colony with a dedicated caretaker who provides spay/neuter services, regular feedings and proper shelter—can live a quite content life.
- From www.neighborhoodcats.org
Sam, I updated the wording and changed the Major City to a Small Metropolis. It reduced the number enormously! Only because there are very few "Major Cities" in the US. If you have even more sophisticated vocab, add it in!
Pet Side
Alley Cat Allies
This is Sam and Danielle during ELPAT! We love animals and I (Danielle) adore newborn puppies + kittens! (: (Sam here) plus, we're weird.
(Sam writes anything in italics.)
So, we were going to do something that has to do with animals, but we haven't quite made one yet, so, yeah...
I have a good idea for a bill! Even though it is not on animals how about we do one on not having school on Mondays?! (:
Haha.
It is a good idea, you have to admit! Or we can do one about surrendering animals. Such as, you may surrender your animal instead of having it euthanized it, etc.
One I think would be good is to require every town to have a TNR program (Trap- Neuter- Release) for feral cats, which can lower the population of homeless cats/kittens.
This bill will help reduce the population of feral cats and kittens. They will also be given vaccinations so they can stay healthy in the wild and the adoptable kittens will be given to foster homes. Neutered cats will fight less w/ other cats and won't have the urge to wander as much, and won't have the need to cross roads. Therefore, less cats will be hit by cars/trains.
http://www.aspca.org/adoption/feral-cats-faq.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap-Neuter-Return
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/HOW_TO_WHAT_IS_TNR
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/HOW_TO_WHAT_IS_FERAL_CAT
What Is a Feral Cat?
A "feral" cat is a cat who has reverted in some degree to a wild state. They originate from former domestic cats who were lost or abandoned and then learned to live outdoors or in environments involving little human contact, such as warehouses, factories or abandoned buildings. In most cases, feral cats are not completely wild because they still depend on people for their food source, whether it's a caretaker who comes by once or twice a day, a dumpster outside a restaurant, garbage cans, or the like. Relatively few feral cats subsist only by hunting. To what degree a feral cat is wild depends on several factors. Foremost, is the age of the cat. Young kittens are more capable of being socialized and successfully re-introduced to domestic life than a feral adult. Another factor is what generation feral is the cat. A kitten born outdoors to a mother who was herself formerly domestic is likely to socialize easier than one born to a mother who is seventh generation feral. The extent of daily human contact also plays an important role in determining how wild a cat will be. If cats have regular interaction with people, such as in a community garden, they will tend to be friendlier and more approachable than if they live in a back alley where people rarely venture. Finally, there's the wild card factor, which is the particular cat's personality. It's not unheard of for someone to tame an older, multi-generational feral who has been largely isolated from people, but this is the exception. It's important to recognize that if a cat is truly feral, then the most compassionate choice might be to allow them to live outdoors. Trying to domesticate them would be no different than trying to make a squirrel or a raccoon a household companion - you might succeed somewhat, but never fully and only with a great deal of time and patience. Moreover, you would not be permitting the animal to live in a manner that suits him best. Many well-meaning people, convinced they are "saving" a feral cat by bringing him indoors, end up condemning the poor creature to a life of hiding under the bed and being in constant fear. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) respects a feral cat's wild state. The neutering of the ferals prevents tremendous suffering and shields the cats from the hostility their behavior might otherwise draw from human neighbors. But the return of them to their own territory and the providing of adequate food and shelter gives them the opportunity to live among their own, to be free and to answer to their own unique natures.- From www.neighborhoodcats.orgWhat's Life Like for a Feral Cat?
Simply put, it's not easy. Feral cats must endure weather extremes such as cold and snow, heat and rain. They also face starvation, infection and attacks by other animals. Unfortunately, almost half of the kittens born outdoors die from disease, exposure or parasites before their first year. Feral cats also face eradication by humans—poison, trapping, gassing and steel leg-hold traps are all ways humans, including some animal control and government agencies, try to kill off feral cat populations.That said, feral cats who live in a managed colony—a colony with a dedicated caretaker who provides spay/neuter services, regular feedings and proper shelter—can live a quite content life.
- From www.neighborhoodcats.org